Warung Bumbu

SquareMeal Review of
Warung Bumbu

It’s all in the name: ‘warung’ refers to the makeshift street-food stalls that are popular throughout Indonesia, while ‘bumbu’ is the ground-up, aromatic paste used to invigorate many of the
country’s native dishes. Occupying what was a Japanese joint, this self-proclaimed ‘spice shack’ spreads the South-East Asian gospel with a menu that highlights the region’s cuisine – from satays
and beef rendang to gado-gado salad, acar kuning (turmeric-spiced pickled vegetables) and riffs on nasi goreng rice plates. Otherwise, consider classic dishes such as cumi cumi isi (stuffed squid
with a mild chilli and lemongrass sauce), ayam goreng mentega (an eastern take on chicken Kiev) or pepes ikan (parcels of steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves). Lunchtime specials are worth a go
and prices are cheap, while the setting keeps it plain and simple with shared bench seating and long black tables.